Machine gun



Dec. 12, 1944. c, s, ow 2,364,944

MACHINE GUN Filed Oct. 31, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l C; 8. BROWN Dec. 12., 19.44.

MACHINE GUN Filed; Oct. 31, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Patented Dec. 12, 1944 UNITED STATES TNT OFFHC MACHINE GUN Charles S. Brown, Syracuse, N. Y1 U Application October 31, 1941, Serial No. 417,372

1 Claim.

This invention relates to machine guns, and has for its object an arrangement of the barrel of the gun, which is provided with heat conducting flanges, and an outer shell for bringing cooling air in contact with the flanges of the barrel and also an arrangement of the shell at the muzzle end of the barrel relatively to the barrel, or means beyond the muzzle end of the barrel to be impinged by the exhaust gases leaving the barrel and cushion or partly neutralize the recoil, and also to give a twisting or turning movement to the air around the path of the projectile as it and the exhaust gases leave the muzzle of the barrel.

It further has for its object a construction of the shell, barrel and frame or turret, whereby the barrel and the shell are readily assembled in and demounted from the frame or turret.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a machine gun embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly broken away, of the barrel and contiguous part of the frame or turret.

Figure 3 is an enlarged end View of the muzzle end of the barrel and shell.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on line 44, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail view showing in elevation the head at the muzzle end of the shell of the barrel.

Figure 6 is a view, partly broken away, of a wall of the frame or turret in' which the head is mounted.

I designates the frame or turret which is mounted on a suitable support or tripod 2, the frame housing the firing mechanism. With the exception of the feature hereinafter pointed out, the frame may be of any suitable size, form and construction.

The barrel includes a tubular core or body 3 and an outer body 4 of a metal having high heat conductivity, as an aluminum alloy. The inner tubular core or barrel proper is provided with peripheral more or less flexible flanges 5 extending circumferentially, circular or spirally around the same, and the outer heat conducting body 4 is integrally united to the flanged peripheral surface of the tubular core or barrel proper 3. In,

practice, the heat conducting body is cast around the flanged tubular core, and in this way integrally united thereto. Owing to the flexibility of the flanges 5, the' integral union is maintained during relative expansion and contraction of the outer body 4 of high heat conductivity, or in other words, there is no breaking away of the outer body 4 from the tubular core 3, due to difference in expansion caused by the difference of expansion coefficient of the different materials and of the heated temperatures. The outer body 4 is formed with circumferentially extending heat conducting flanges as 6. The outer diameter of the heat dissipating flanges 6 also taper from the breech end of the barrel toward the muzzle end.

i designates an outer cylindrical shell enclosing the barrel and spaced therefrom forming an air space 8 around the barrel which on account of the tapering of the barrel increases in width toward the muzzle end of the barrel. The shell I is also provided with air inlets or ventilating holes 9 throughout its periphery. The shell projects at H] beyond the muzzle end of the barrel 3 and the projecting portion Ill is provided with spiral blades H therein, these blades projecting from in the rear of the muzzle end of the barrel 3 beyond the muzzle end to the end of the shell it. During the firing operation, the gases ejected from the muzzle end of the barrel 3 act to draw air through the openings 9 over the flanges 6 and eject said air at the muzzle end of the shell ill. The blades H are less than one convolution so as not to obstruct the flow of air or cause a back pressure thereof but give a twisting movement to the air about the path of the projectile where it leaves the muzzle end of the barrel 3 to the muzzle end of the shell I0, and thus avoid any retarding or deflecting chest of the air (being ejected from the shell) on the projectile. The spiral blades, due to the force of the gases thereon neutralize, to some extent, the recoil of the gun because of the axially outward force of the gases leaving the barrel acting on the spiral or angular blades and cushion the recoil.

The shell 1 is mounted in the frame or turret l by means of a head I2 at the breech end of the barrel 3, the head l2 having an axial hub or nipple it formed with a bore I 4 for receiving the breech end of the barrel 3 or in which the breech end slidably but closely fits, the breech end of the barrel 3 extending into the support for connection to or coaction with the gun mechanism. The head [2 is also formed with a radial slot i5 (see Figure 5) leading from the bore l4 through the periphery of the head I2. The front wall l6 of the frame or turret I is formed with a circular opening I! into which the nipple 13 threads and with a radial slot l8 leading from the circular opening l1. When the parts are assembled, the slots [5 and [8 are in alinement.

They are for the purpose of accommodating mechanism of the gun located for the most part within the frame or turret I to the rear of the wall 16.

In assembling, the barrel 3 including the tubular core or body 3 and the outer body 4 and 6 is mounted in the shell 1 through the breech end of j the shell 1 when the head'l2 is removed, this 7 head I2 screwing into the breech end of the-shell I. The assembled barrel 3 and shell 1 is then screwed into the circular opening I! of the front wall I 6 of the frame or turret l and the parts of to draw, injector fashion, air through the shell and the spiral blades impart a whirling motion to the injected air and to the gases mixed there with coming from the interior of the barrel where the projectile leaves the barrel.

i r CHARLES S. BROWN. 

